Choose one symbol, image, or metaphor in this film. What does it symbolize? (That's your thesis.) In bullet points, give examples of how that symbol, metaphor, or image is used in the film Hugo by Martin Scorsese.

Hugo is a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning historical drama, fantasy, and adventure film, directed by American filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese. It is based on the 2007 historical fiction novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written by American illustrator and writer Brian Selznick. It is set in the 1930s and tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy named Hugo who lives in the walls of the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris, and goes on a quest to uncover a secret left to him by his father.
The movie premiered in 2011 and stars Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, and Jude Law. Because of its recurrent themes of technology and mechanics, and its setting, Hugo has often been compared to the classic film masterpieces Metropolis (1927) and Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1945).
Hugo has a lot of symbolism in its narrative; however, I believe that the most notable and, perhaps, the most meaningful symbol is the automaton that Hugo and his father find and try to repair. The automaton is an artificial being that has a lifelike appearance, and I believe it symbolizes the entire human race. It represents people’s ability to change and transform and our tendency to fall under the influence of the natural and unnatural occurrences that happen around us. At the same time, the automaton represents people’s way of adapting to the new contemporary society of information, progress, and modernity, which is gradually transforming into a “global village.”
Hugo and his father almost succeed in repairing the machine, and the only piece that is missing is a heart-shaped key. This is interesting, as it is a metaphor for people’s never-ending quest and deep need for love, friendship, and family. At the same time, it symbolizes that every creature, be it “organic” or artificial, has an individual and collective purpose; a machine is undoubtedly made with a purpose, but so are people. Thus, this represents the purpose of life in general and alludes to the idea that humanity exists to uncover the reason for its existence.